The present invention relates to a treadmill and, more particularly, to a treadmill with a cushion assembly.
Indoor exercise is getting more and more popular during recent decades. One popular indoor exercise apparatus is the treadmill. Treadmills commonly include a frame supported on the floor surface, and a console support extending upward from a front end of the frame. Two rollers are positioned at opposite ends of the frame, and an endless belt is trained on the rollers. A deck is positioned under the endless belt. A user may step on the endless belt for walking, running or other exercise purpose.
The upper portion of the belt is typically supported by the deck beneath the upper surface of the belt. The deck is usually composed of wood in order to provide the required support. Therefore, decks are commonly relatively rigid, which can result in high impact loads on the user's feet, ankles and knees as the user's feet contact the belt. These high impact loads are uncomfortable and further can result in unnecessary damage to joints as compared to running on a softer surface.
Because the typical treadmill has a very stiff, hard running surface and can become uncomfortable for extended periods of running, manufacturers have sought to make the running surface more resilient in an attempt to improve user comfort. While generally successful at reducing impact loads, these approaches have certain disadvantages. In particular, it has been found that there is a substantial advantage in being able to vary the stiffness of the decks in treadmills to accommodate the desires or running styles of different users. As a result there have been a number of attempts to provide mechanisms for varying deck stiffness, an example of which is as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,424. The '424 patent discloses a cushion system including a flexible cantilever, a bumper and a movable brace. The flexible cantilever has an end fixedly mounted on the frame by screws, and the bumper is fixedly attached to another end of the flexible cantilever. The brace is movable along the flexible cantilever.